Alongside the release of Thomas Brinkmann's Soul Center album General Eclectic (STRIKE 118CD) on Shitkatapult, the Berlin label releases the second 12" vinyl for the vinyl nerd, club fan, DJ and collector. GE 02 features 4 techno-funk greats by one of the biggest German techno producers from the early beginnings of the genre. These tracks are fundamentally moving and do not need more advise from here. Don't fake the cake.

With the release of his fourth album, General Eclectics, Thomas Brinkmann breathes new life into his stellar side project Soul Center. Don't be misled by the album's title, though. Taken literally, General Eclectics will lead you astray not once, but twice. While the cover might allude to local noise merchants Einstürzende Neubauten's infamous Haus Der Lüge sleeve and Paolo Uccello's horse's rear, the album's inner sleeve is covered in maps, footballs, cigarette butts, priests, etc., each replete with their own rich history. Take the ashtray, for example: a work of art in itself that is both light-hearted and laden with meaning. It is Brinkmann's sense of appropriation (the eclectic side of things) and his interpretation of art/music/image/sound, that provides the red thread to connect the individual parts -- and concept -- of this album. Unlike Soul Center's previous works, the featured music is almost entirely devoid of samples and returns to a deep melange of techno's richer funk and soul flavors -- from the album's slowed-down opener, "Marmelade," right up to the final hands-in-the-air stomper "Dyr Bul Scyl." For this album, only two tracks include significant vocal usage and this time, the artist underlines the background of the lyrics. Aleksei Kruchenykh and Vladimir Majakovsky are two of the main writers of the Russian futurism of the 1920s. And we all need some more Russian futurism these days.

This is a short and sweet preview of Thomas Brinkmann's fourth album General Eclectics. Unlike Soul Center's previous works, the featured music is almost entirely devoid of samples and returns to a deep melange of techno's richer funk and soul flavors, from "Marmelade" right up to the final hands-in-the-air stomper "Dyr Bul Scyl." Sure-fire floor fillers. Fun is a hot gun.

"Soul Center III is the latest in Thomas Brinkmann's Soul Center series of albums and follows Soul Center I and II which were released to much acclaim on his W.v.B. Enterprises label. Funk charged electronic music and its very best; the new album features eleven tracks and is released on both CD and double vinyl. CD copies will also include the outstandingly original video of one of the album's standout tracks 'A Good One'. Cologne based, Thomas Brinkmann is one of Germany's most talented and respected electronic producers. A prestigious signing for novamute, Brinkmann has a fiercely independent attitude and has rarely worked with other labels. Choosing to avoid the 'industry', over the last few years he has released a clutch of outstanding records under a number of different guises including Max, Soul Center, max.Ernst, Ester Brinkmann/Supposé and Ernst." [we only carry the vinyl version; CD version is on Mute in the US]